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Old True Brew Beer Kits...
I am just getting into brewing and saw an ad for a Brewers Best start-up kit. Never used kit with all the standard stuff (2 plastic buckets, capper hydrometer, etc) along with a couple books (Beer School and Brewing Up a Business) and a couple ingredient kits. $50 for the whole thing, so I said why not. I already have a starter kit, but I would like to be able to brew a couple batches at a time, so i figured it was a good deal for unused equipment and both books look interesting...
The questions I have is about the ingredient kits. They are OLD True Brew Amber and Pale Ale kits. The yeasts have exp dates of 2006 and 2007, so they definitely get tossed, but how about the rest? The canned malt should be fine, right? The powdered malt, however is solid. Its not even like its just caked up...it is a solid mass, almost like it melted and then cooled (all of the pouches in both kits). Usable? How about the grains and hops? Let me know...
-Todd
Honestly, if the ingredients are old, you're better off buying fresh. Even the canned LME
(liquid malt extract).
Really? I figured sugar in a can...how can it go bad?
Oh well...at least I can use the caps and the muslin bag! 
Who knows, maybe I'll give one of them a try when I'm bored some day, just to see what will happen. $50 for the equipment and the books still is not too bad though...
Anybody else ever brew with old kits?
I used a kit that was about 6 months old once. it didn't have dme that was solid though. I didn't think it would end up being very good, and at first it wasn't. After a couple months in bottles though, it wasn't bad.
I get old ingredients on a regular basis and things turn out OK at best. just know that things are old.... More oxidized, the LME especially is going to turn out darker than what it would have four years ago due to oxidation, and slow carmalization from sugar being in contact with a metal can. More so if that can has been sitting somewhere hot. I.E. Garage, tool shed.
Great stuff to practice your process on just know that at best the beer is gonna taste "old"
ID
Toss it all out.
If I gave you 4 week old head of lettuce and told you to make a salad, would you??? Especially, if you didn't know where I had stored it for those 4 weeks.
Lets respect beer and get some better ingredients.
I am not being harsh, so please don't take it that way. Its tough not to sound that way in a text format.
But lets not cheapen beer just because its beer.
As long as less-than-stellar beer doesn't turn you off from the hobby you can go for it. But don't go bad mouthing homebrewing to your family and friends if the beer falls below expectations.
And the soapbox award for today goes to brewchez.
ID
brewchez...
I completetly respect beer! I am just anoyed with myself for not looking at the dates (or really considering it) when I purchased the Kit! The main reason I bought it was for the equipment, but if I realized the ingredients were worthless, I would probably have offered him $40. So I'm out $10...no big! He looked like he could use the money and the equivalent kit would have cost me around $80 new, so I still made out OK. Just hate to throw anything away!
BTW...I have 2 beers going right now. The True Brew Belgian Ale (1st brew) is in the bottles and should be ready to try in around 2 weeks. The True Brew IPA was our 2nd batch, which we just brewed up this past Saturday. We also bought 2 more kits (as our local brewery supplier http://www.beer-wine.com/ is having a 10% off sale), so we will be brewing their own ROM Premium Octoberfest and ROM Raspberry Wheat Ale next. You could say I'm hooked! 
-T
Keep on rocking T.
Best of luck with the BPA and IPA.
Hey if beer and wine in woburn really is your local shop, you should be aware of the # of active MA guys here on the site.
We've gotten together in the past a couple times a year to watch one guy brew and swap beers and such. Usually a great time, (until bruguru shows up).
All levels are welcome to swing by so pay attention for the next invite if you're interested and free.
Cheers.
Thanks!
Yup...here in Roslindale. My buddy is in Charlestown, so we are wayyyy local!
Let me know where to go to find out about local events (I guess I should just pay attention on this site, but if there are other local sites you would recommend...)! Thanks!
-T
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